Peters



UN TE S A ES.

PATENT- OFFICE.

HERVEY woonronnp on MABOELLUS, NEW- YORK.

WAGON-TONGUE SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters g ant No. 284,529, dated .September 4, 1883, Application filedJune 2, 1983. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, -HERVEY M. Woon- FORD, of Marcellus, in the county of Qnondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new'and useful Improvements in Wagon- Tongue Supports, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa full, clear, and exact descrip tion. i

This invention consists in improved devices for, adj ustably and yieldingly supporting the tongue of a vehicle either in a horizontal or a vertical position, as hereinafter 1 fully ldescribed, and set forth in the claims. o

The invention is fully illustrated inthe an nex'ed drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of the forward runninggear of a wagon provided with my improved tonguesupport. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the 2c same, taken on line as w in Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4,

and 5 are enlarged detail views, showing the invention in different positions, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the link and its springconnection with the sand-board;

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. Trepresents the tongue, connected to .the hounds by a cross-bolt passing through said parts, and allowing the tongue to vibrate ver- 3o tically im the usual manner.

n a denotes a casteiron block, secured ji to the tongue by a clip, f, which allows said block to be shiftedlongitudinally on the tongue, and fastened at a greater or lessdistance from the 3 mm: end thereof. The forward end of the block (I isprovided with a hook, g, and the rear end is formed with an upward projection, h, on which is hinged an arm, 0, which is adapted to lie with itsfree end on the forward 0 end of the block and swing upward therefrom.

The top of the arm 0 is deflected or curved toward the tongue, to form thereon arecess or shoulder, t, which,when the said arm is in its normal position and lying on the block, is

brought below the pivot of the arm, or between said pivot and the tongue, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. 7

b represents a link attached to the center of the leaf-spring d, which is adjustably con- 5o nected to the so-called sand-board s of the running-gear by means of clips 6 e, connected to the sand-boardand embracing the ends of the spring. Said clips are adapted to be fastened at different points in the length of the sandboard, thereby allowing the distance between 5-; the link I) and the aforesaid attachment of the spring to be shortened and lengthened, to increase or diminish thetension of the spring, according tothe weight of the tongue to be supported. By'interlocking the free end of the link with the shoulder a of the arm 0, the tongue is sustained in ahorizontal position, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The before-described position of the shoulder '13 in relation to the pivot of the arm causes the strain to automatically retain the arm in its horizontal and interlocked position. 7

When it is desired to drop the free end of the tongue, the same can be readily accomplished by raising the free end of the arm 0 7o sufficiently to allow the link to be thrown out of its engagement with the shoulder a, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. After the tongue has been lowered and the arm a dropped back into its normal position onthe block a, the link b, when dropped onto the arm a, rests with its free end back of the shoulder t, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4 of the drawings. 'The link is thus in position to automatically reengage with the shoulder i when the tongue is raised for that purpose.

It will be observed that the before-described construction and combination of parts allows the operator to raise the tongue by its free end, and the coupling of the support is effected automatically, thereby greatly facilitating the operation.

a When the tongue is to be supported in a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, the tongue is to be raised to allow 0 the link tobe connected with the hook g on the forward end of the block a. The action of the described tongue-support can be furtheradjusted by shifting the block a longitudinally on'the tongue, thereby increasing or 5 diminishing the distance between the block a and the support of the link I), and varying accordingly the angles of the tongue required to make the connection between the link and hook g and shoulder a. o

Having described my invention, what, I claim as new is---. p

V 1. In combination with the link I), the block a, adjustably secured to thetongue by the clip r f, and provided at its forward end with the In testimonywhereof Ihave hereunto signed hook g, and the ar nnc; hinged to the rear end my. napne and affixed my seal, in the presence of the block and formed with the depression of-two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the 1 5 z, substantially in the manner and for the purcounty of Onondaga, in the State of New York,

' 5 pose shown and set forth. this 23d day of May, 1883. p

2. In combination with ahook or shoulder v on the tongue, the link b, adapted to engage HERVEY M. WVOODFORD. [L. s.]

and release the same, and the spring d, adj'ustably secured to the sand-board by clips Witnesses:

IO e 0, adapted to be shifted thereon, substan- J. LAASS,

tially as specified and'shown, for the purpose" WILLrAM O. RAYMOND. set forth. I 

